Baird Harajuku Taproom

Baird Harajuku TaproomBaird Harajuku Taproom
Baird Harajuku TaproomBaird Harajuku Taproom
Bar, Eatery

1-20-13 Jingumae, No-Surrender Bldg 2F, Shibuya-ku
Tokyo-to Tokyo-shi, 150-0001
Japan

+81 3-6438-0450 | map
bairdbeer.com

Serving Baird Brewing Co. beers.
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.02
Reviews:
12
Ratings:
20
pDev:
8.96%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of chinchill
Reviewed by chinchill from South Carolina

4.23/5  rDev +5.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4.25
Located up a spiral staircase in an alley of the touristy strip, this location has 16 taps plus 2 casks. It is a small taproom but it has lots of bar seating (about 19l and about 5 tables. Limited gastropub fare available that is high in quality but low in quantity. Well staffed.
Oct 18, 2019
Photo of heymikew
Reviewed by heymikew from California

4/5  rDev -0.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.25 | selection: 3.75 | food: 4
Nice respite a block away from the mob scene on Takeshita Street a short walk from Harajuku Station. Good lunch place.
We enjoyed banter with other visiting beer geeks.
May 07, 2019
 
Rated: 4.02 by t2grogan from Arizona

Nov 18, 2018
 
Rated: 4.06 by jkuchera from Colorado

Jun 19, 2018
Photo of Karpdevil
Reviewed by Karpdevil from Michigan

4.1/5  rDev +2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4.5
I didn't think it was too hard to find. Good beer selection. We did a few flights. Staff was nice and accommodating when we wanted to have a larger table. They disputed a beer that they poured incorrectly saying it was a brown but it was a golden. No replacement given. I chalk that up to "Lost in Translation". Had some grilled squid and bacon as apps. Very good!
Jun 24, 2016
 
Rated: 4.39 by Stevedore from Oregon

Mar 03, 2016
 
Rated: 4.1 by amano_h from Oregon

Sep 15, 2015
 
Rated: 4.65 by saxophone from Japan

Jun 21, 2015
 
Rated: 4.08 by SCW from New York

Jun 02, 2015
Photo of kinopio
Reviewed by kinopio from Massachusetts

4.11/5  rDev +2.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Hard to find. Its on the end of a side street off the main Harajuku drag. Go up some stairs on the outside of the building to the second floor to find the bar. Beforehand play around with google maps and look at photos of the building and street so you know what you are looking for.
Worth the hassle. Harajuku is a crazy neighborhood unlike anywhere else so come here for that and the beer. The bar itself is pretty chill, a respite from the insanity of Harajuku. Cool wood interior.

They had a couple cask/real ale beers when I was there. Then 10 or so other taps. Good drinking food, reasonable prices for Tokyo. One of my favorite drinking stops in my 2 weeks in Japan.
Jan 06, 2015
 
Photo of ironchefkook
Reviewed by ironchefkook from California

4.19/5  rDev +4.2%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.25 | food: 3.75
On the corner of a very congested and popular destination in Harajuku, Tokyo. It is nearly impossible to find without a GPS. Unfortunately for me, we had no internet access but with our broken Japanese, we finally found it. Its a very small pub with barely any seating area other than the bar. We were greeted by a young woman who was bilingual, which is a heaven-sent because we were able to cut the language barrier that we had our whole stay in Japan. We ordered a flight because these beers are difficult to acquire in the US. Got a total of 8 beers, including one real cask ale (which was the highlight). Damn, their DIPA real ale was delicious... The food on the menu was izakaya-esque. It wasnt phenomenal, but definitely good.. which is the case for every food joint in Japan. Overall, very good beer, chill spot, good service (speaks english), but just a tad hard to find in Harajuku.
Jul 17, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by apbaj from Guam

Mar 28, 2014
Photo of shigg85
Reviewed by shigg85 from Japan

3.14/5  rDev -21.9%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 3.25 | service: 2.5 | selection: 3.75 | food: 3.5
Tucked away in Harajuku, the Baird Taproom serves some decent German grub with their American-German-Japanese house beers on tap. Very cramped conditions sometimes and the seats are pretty uncomfortable. If you go at a slow time, the servers are great, but when it's busy, it's not easy to get service (use the Japanese culture of just yelling your order out instead of waiting -- it works a lot better!) Overall, a great place to go to try out the latest Baird brews (which are worth the trip, many times).

Update (2022): Staff and bartenders seem to be sitting around talking instead of serving people. Worse, they (or their friends visiting the pub? I'm not sure since they're just sitting and chatting) stand right outside the door smoking, letting the fumes blow into the bar. This place has gone downhill in the last ten years.
Mar 28, 2013
Photo of dauss
Reviewed by dauss from Colorado

3.93/5  rDev -2.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.75
Just go down Takeshita street a few blocks and hang a left. Only a few steps away from the Harajuku station.

Some things to know, they open at 5pm. Even though Takeshita is bustling, they're just not open. I went on Thursday night and I was able to get a seat on one of the long tables that hang off the wall. Sitting at the bar were businessmen eating various grilled items. I have heard good things about it, but didn't have anything personally.

This is the taproom for Baird, so they just have Baird beer. 10 beers were on, in addition to a couple of seasonals. They have WiFi, but you just have to ask. I think the service was fine. In Japan, the servers don't bother you unless you call on them. You will wait forever unless you say "sumimasen". Luckily, my Japanese friend was there and helped me order.

The quality of the beers were good. Interesting take on how the Japanese interpret some styles. I thoroughly enjoyed the pale ale and the porter.

As far as price, it seemed to be on par for craft beer prices in Japan. That being said, I thought it was incredibly expensive. January 2013, $1 USD = 90 Yen. Beers were 1,000 yen for 500ml(400ml for specialty/high gravity), 600 yen for 250ml(200ml for specialty/high gravity) and 1,000 yen for three 140ml tasters. $11.11/pint, $6.66/half pint.

If you want to try Baird beer and you're in Tokyo, do it here. Very close to the train station and Meiji Shrine. Looks like an extensive menu of grilled items, so you can grab a bite to eat here, but without knowing any Japanese, it may be tough.
Jan 29, 2013
Photo of vikinggod
Reviewed by vikinggod from Missouri

3.73/5  rDev -7.2%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 2.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Close to the Harajuku train station, but took some time to find. A small place with a few tables, the staff speak's English along with menu's in English. Service was so-so, we were served by 3 different people only 1 that was friendly. Almost alway's had to wave a server over to place a order even though they were not that busy.

Most of the food on the menu was of Japanese style, and other than a couple of the appetizer's the food was very good.

Large selection of Baird's offerings, my favorites's were the West Coast Wheat Wine and the Suruga Bay Imperial IPA. Would come back here any time, wish I had had more time in Tokyo to visit Baird's other Taproom's.
Dec 05, 2011
Photo of Stephen63
Reviewed by Stephen63 from Scotland

3.35/5  rDev -16.7%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 4 | service: 2 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Popped in for lunch and a beer on a Saturday break during a business trip to Tokyo. Not that easy to find that's for sure!

Once in greeted with a point to a table in the corner. Overall the staff gave a seriously disinterested service. Decent selection of beer but with the exchange rate as it is one beer was enough. Actually the atmosphere and service would have been enough for me to leave anyway.

Definitely a good place for one beer but the bar staff need a kick up the backside.

OK back to get the word limit, did I say Iwas not impressed with the bar service?
Sep 20, 2011
Photo of distantmantra
Reviewed by distantmantra from Washington

4.59/5  rDev +14.2%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
Visited in April 2010.

After a long day of Giants baseball and all you can eat Brazilian fare at Barbacoa, my wife and I were taken to Baird's taproom in Harajuku by some friends. At this point in our trip, I was in need of craft beer and Baird did not disappoint.

Oddly placed in a back alley off the fashionable Jingumae in Harajuku, Baird's taproom is a craft beer sanctuary amidst a city that mostly serves nothing but Sapporo, Asahi, Ebisu and Guinness. The taproom is very izakaya-ish in decor. As expected in Japan, all beers were pricey (1,000 yen for a pint), but everything here was of the highest quality. The bar staff is fluent in both English and Japanese, and service was fantastic. There is a light food menu, but we did not partake in it. Don't forget to pick up a pint glass to take home. I mean, how many people have a craft beer glass from Japan?

Highly recommended. Will definitely visit again on our next trip to Tokyo.
Jul 01, 2011
Photo of OneBrewru
Reviewed by OneBrewru from Japan

4.13/5  rDev +2.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Baird's is one of my favorite brew-haunts in Tokyo.

The place itself is small but nice. It has a smooth, traditional izakaya style wood-paneled bar. All the seats and tables are also made out of richly colored wood. It looks pretty slick.

The service is great. The bartender is good at both Japanese and English. He is extremely knowledgeable about beer and all around seems like a nice guy. Food gets to your spot promptly, and good recommendations are offered when requested.

The selection is great. Anywhere from 12-17 beers are available on tap, with 2 on the hand pump.

The food is traditional izakaya fare, with most items costing about 500Y (6 bucks in todays market). Everything I've had has been tasty.

All in all, the pints are a bit pricey (1000Y). However, you don't get that much microbrew in Tokyo and the food is cheap. I'll support them without a second thought.
Apr 15, 2011
Photo of Naerhu
Reviewed by Naerhu from Japan

4/5  rDev -0.5%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 2 | selection: 4 | food: 5
This tap room is oddly placed in the teenybopper capital of Japan, Harajuku.

It has most all the Baird line up (I've never noticed a guest beer). While the beers are about 10 bucks a pop, this is standard Craft Beer pricing in Japan.

Excellent food (primarily gyoza and yakitori)!!! If you miss the gyoza, then you have my pity, because it is some of the best gyoza I have ever had. The food is were the real bargain is.

The service is slow and not very friendly, but not actually rude. If I were hungover and didnt like my job, I guess thats how I would wait tables. It seams that Baird is keeping with the precedent established with the first Taproom in Nakameguro.

To sum up, if you want great beer and delicious food, but do not mind waitstaff who seem bored to death (but never rude), then this place is for you.
Aug 31, 2010
Baird Harajuku Taproom in Tokyo-to Tokyo-shi, Japan
Place rating: 4.02 out of 5 with 20 ratings